Deepening fissures define rural southern Arizona’s fight over groundwater rules
It’s already dry in southern Arizona’s Sulphur Springs Valley and it’s getting drier. The underground aquifer that lies beneath the desert used to be much higher, but as it drops the ground above it becomes unstable. Residents … are seeing the wells they use to pump water for their basic needs — to take showers and wash their hands — dry up as large farming operations move in and drill deeper. … Groundwater management isn’t just an Arizona problem. Colorado’s legislature just voted last month to put $60 million towards groundwater sustainability. California and Nevada have also struggled with the issue.